For Granted
by MapleSnowchunks
Summary: Someone as loving as Roxas is repaid by Axel having affairs night after night, not even bothering to hide them from his lover. What will it take for Roxas to have Axel all to himself? Certainly he didn't expect what happened that fateful night to be the thing that finally changed Axel's attitude and realize what he'd been taking for granted. M for a reason. AU and some OOC too!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello all my sweet sugar muffins. Here lives my second fanfic. It'll probs be a pretty short chapter to open things up, but it's whatever. Don't expect much, because it's not my main project or anything. I just was waiting and waiting for the right time to begin writing this :D Let me hear from you my little turtle doves~ I love you all!_

When you read about love in stories, it is always so pure and wonderful. Everything works out perfectly when two people are in love. It's such a powerful thing, and everyone believes it to be the greatest thing anyone could achieve. What most people don't understand is that there are many sides of love… It isn't always the purest of emotions, and plenty of pain comes with it. Roxas knew this. He felt the warm, wonderful feeling of being in love- but that was only one side of it. In his mind, it was necessary to suffer in order to keep the one person most precious to him. And suffer he did.

Every night, Roxas would return home from his work and wait. Normally, he would fall asleep on the couch, curled up in a ball as if to try to hide his vulnerability and weakness. His friends would ask him what was wrong, because it was easy to tell his relationship with Axel wasn't the greatest. He would simply tell them he was just stressed from work and nothing was wrong. It really wasn't anything like they were thinking- Axel wasn't abusive. He would never lay a hand on Roxas with the intention to harm him. Axel was a very loving partner. Sadly, though, he didn't seem to treasure that love as much as Roxas.

Axel would usually return in the middle of the night or the next morning (since he didn't have a job it didn't matter). Depending on how sober he was, he would usually carry Roxas to their bedroom and go to sleep. Sometimes, Axel would be unsatisfied and wake Roxas only to serve his need for pleasure. When this happened, the sex was rough but loving, even if it didn't seem very sincere. Roxas tried to convince himself during those times Axel was simply deeply in love with him, and thought fucking was the right way to show it.

_What a joke, _Roxas thought as he rested on his back staring up at the ceiling. Axel had yet to return.

It was no secret that Axel had affairs going on. Axel would hook up with someone different every night, and when he didn't, that was when he angrily used Roxas. Roxas found himself hoping that night that Axel would find what he was looking for and return to him exhausted. Work had left Roxas extremely tired, and he wasn't sure he was ready to be kept up by Axel's lust. Luck was on Roxas's side.

Roxas was just drifting off when his lover returned at around 1:30am. It was a fairly early time, and for once, Roxas was awake.

The blonde stared sleepily over at the man who had just entered. "Welcome home." It was a ritual saying. Whatever Axel had been doing, it didn't affect Roxas- or at least that's what he told himself.

"Hey Roxy," Axel slurred gently, stumbling over to Roxas who lay limply on the leather sofa.

Roxas shuddered when he felt the red-head's hand graze his cheek lovingly. "Hi Axe…"

The boy felt Axel's lips being pressed to his own, but wouldn't allow himself to feel any emotion from it. The tall male's long arms slipped under Roxas's back and knees, lifting him from the couch. Roxas immediately wrapped his arms around Axel's neck and buried his nose in the man's soft shirt, taking in the smell of the man he loved so dearly. Oftentimes, Roxas wondered what would happen if he confronted Axel about his affairs. However, he shook off the idea in fear of Axel leaving him. Roxas was gently laid in bed with Axel getting in next to him soon after stripping off his clothes. The blonde-haired boy immediately curled up next to Axel, pressing his head against the man's chest. Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas's waist, hugging him tightly until both males fell asleep.

…

The mornings after were always the same- Roxas cooked breakfast, Axel ate while Roxas went to work, and Axel went back to bed to get energy for that night's outing. Working at the office went as usual that day- busy.

Roxas was responsible for sales ideas in the Sea-Salt Company. They had originally sold ice cream, but eventually expanded to sell all sorts of different sweet and salty combinations in foods. His assistant, Xion, often sensed when something was wrong and would attempt to talk to Roxas, but he always refused to say anything. What good would talk do? It wasn't like talking was going to make Axel more faithful than he was already. Roxas simply buried himself in his work, focusing on making the company the best he could, since their sales had dropped over the last few months. He decided he would tell Axel. He would also talk about how the fish in the cafeteria tastes just like chicken, and about how the new worker had dropped an entire stack of important documents after tripping over his own shoelace. Thinking of conversations he could have with Axel was something Roxas loved to do- he looked forward to the weekend when he had time to spend with the red-head during the day. Roxas always had an abundance of things to talk about, because he knew Axel would always respond kindly and listen to him. He wondered if the reason Axel did this was because he felt guilty for cheating on him or not. Wondering never helped Roxas, though, so he tried not to do too much of it.

Roxas got home later that night, not that it mattered. Axel probably wouldn't return until 2 or 3 anyway. When the blonde arrived at the apartment and unlocked the door, he was shocked to find the lights on. What was even more surprising was Axel sitting on the couch staring at the television screen. The television was off.

"Axel?" Roxas asked, unsure of what to say since he couldn't really say "welcome home".

The man turned his head to look at Roxas for moment before standing up and making his way over to the boy. It must have been one of those nights. Axel was unlucky; therefore, Roxas would be the one paying for it. Thankfully, work wasn't as exhausting as it had been the days before. Roxas would be able to hold out for that night.

The tall male leaned down and instantly crashed his lips against Roxas's, forcing his tongue in between the younger's lips. He slid his big hands up the Roxas's shirt, pulling the garment upward as he pinched and teased the boy's nipples. Axel forced Roxas up against the doorway, rocking his hips against the blonde's roughly as Roxas let out a muffled whine.

When Axel finally separated so they could breathe, Roxas said breathlessly, "Axel… We shouldn't…"

"Mm… Roxy…" Axel mumbled, ignoring Roxas's protests as he trailed sloppy kisses over the boy's neck.

Roxas moaned softly, threading his fragile fingers through Axel's spiky, red hair. He loved that red hair. Axel stopped kissing Roxas's neck to press his forehead against the boy's. The man had to lean over a good amount to look into Roxas's icy blue eyes. Roxas loved when Axel did this. He could gaze into Axel's bright green eyes with small, black tattoos underneath them. He loved those eyes. The moment only lasted for a second before Axel was stripping off the younger male's shirt along with his own. He led Roxas towards their bedroom, the blonde stumbling after him in a daze. By then, Axel's animalistic instincts were kicking in. He tightened his grip on Roxas's arm and flung the boy onto the bed. The red-head climbed on top of the boy and kissed him once again, scouring the boy's mouth with his slick muscle and using his hand to work on removing Roxas's pants. Within a few moments Axel had thrown Roxas's pants and boxers to the side and was slipping his own off. Everything seemed to be blurry to Roxas. He watched as Axel grabbed a bottle of lube from their side table and coated his fingers and cock in it. Even as he saw this happening, he couldn't register anything. His mind was broken- damaged from trying to comprehend why Axel treated him this way. He wasn't sure what was going on until he felt three fingers being pushed roughly inside of him, causing him to wince and groan, gripping the sheets of the bed tightly. Axel leaned over, whispering things in Roxas's ear- things that Roxas didn't want to hear.

"You're so beautiful…"

"I love the way you feel…"

"I can't wait to get inside of you…"

_I love you, _Roxas said in his mind, _I love you, I love you, I love you. _He wanted so bad to hear those words come from Axel's mouth. Just three words. Compared to the things Axel was saying at that moment, it should've been simple for him to utter just those three words. Roxas could hear himself moaning out Axel's name, though he couldn't feel the vibrations of the sounds hitting his vocal cords. It was as if it wasn't even him that Axel was touching. As if it wasn't him who Axel loved… Was it? Did Axel love him?

Roxas felt his body shake with pleasure as Axel thrust his fingers inside of him. "A-Axel! Nnnhh… I… Love you…"

Instead of a response, Axel removed his fingers and positioned his member outside of Roxas's hole, smirking at the blonde before pressing the tip into him. Roxas squirmed uncomfortably, a small whimper escaping past his lips, before Axel thrust into him and let out a loud moan of pleasure.

"Ugh, fuck, Roxas! You feel amazing…" Axel groaned, pulling out and slamming back into the boy.

Roxas threw his arm over his mouth, biting down on his own pale skin to muffle his cries. It was shameful- the way Axel made him moan lustfully and mewl, screaming his name and begging for more. He was sure this is what the other people Axel had sex with did. They would whisper dirty things to Axel, then when they had sex they would both cry out in pleasure with no shame. There was one thing Roxas could do that the strangers couldn't though- he could say Axel's name. He knew that name, and he could say it all he wanted- letting its feel sink in every time he said it, soaking in the love that came with it.

"Axel," Roxas murmured, tears beginning to form at the edge of his eyes. "Axel… Axel…"

The blonde bit down harshly on his arm one more time as he felt all of his pleasure building inside of him. He tightened his legs around Axel and held the sheets more tightly with one hand as Axel raggedly thrust into him. Quiet moans slipped out from around Roxas's clenched teeth as he came, a scream welling up in his throat but stuck inside as he held it back. Axel let loose one last groan, spilling his seed inside of Roxas and thrusting slowly in and out of the boy before collapsing on top of him. Roxas could already feel himself drifting off as Axel pulled out of him and rolled off to the side. The red-head's lanky arms circled around him, but he couldn't bring himself to press into Axel's warmth like he did every night.

"You're so wonderful, Roxy," Axel muttered into the boy's ear, burying his nose in Roxas's blonde hair.

They were not the words Roxas wanted to hear.

…

Every night was a sea of endless pleasure for Axel. It was something he couldn't get enough of- sex. He would meet countless men and women and shamelessly fuck them every night. Sometimes, they would be someone he had had sex with before, but most of the time it was someone new. None of them knew, however, his name. Axel had some sense. He realized his name was something precious to Roxas. Axel would always keep that one thing for Roxas, since it didn't seem like he could do anything else for the boy.

Axel really loved Roxas. He loved him dearly, but old habits die hard. He had always been wild, uncaring as to who he slept with; but to Axel, it seemed like Roxas honestly didn't care that he was cheating. Besides, some nights Axel made love to Roxas, even if it was only when he couldn't find someone else to use. That was something, right?

The red-head was thrusting harshly into a young woman while thinking of this. Her cries of ecstasy were lost as his mind swirled. It looked like tonight he simply wasn't going to get off by this woman. He ended up leaving.

Sure, the lady was pissed, but he didn't care. His mind was stuck on Roxas for some reason. He wasn't feeling his usual lust-filled self. As he made his way back to the apartment, thoughts of the previous night filled his head. Axel had fucked Roxas so ruthlessly, but that was normal. What bothered him was afterward—Roxas had lain so still. He didn't bother cuddling up to Axel's side, muttering loving things under his breath until he fell asleep. Maybe it was selfish of Axel to expect this out of Roxas, but it bothered him immensely. Once Axel reached the apartment, he lazily made his way up the steps and opened the door.

"Hey, Roxy," Axel muttered as he stepped inside.

Roxas visibly flinched as he looked at the time. It was early. "W-Welcome home, Axel…"

Maybe it was unfair, but Axel felt hurt. Was Roxas… Afraid of him?

Axel slowly made his way over to the boy. "Roxy… I-"

"Uh-uhm, can we just go to sleep tonight…? I mean… I'm really tired and I don't know if we should have sex again…" Roxas fumbled, receding against the couch.

Axel wrapped his arms firmly around Roxas, holding the boy tightly against him. "That's fine. Forgive me, Roxas. I'm inconsiderate of you sometimes…"

Roxas froze for a second, unsure of what to do. Axel had never apologized before. He slowly raised his arms up to wrap around the thin body of his lover—and he cried. Axel could feel the tears spilling over onto his shoulder before he heard the soft sobs coming from Roxas. He couldn't really feel the guilt at that moment. Axel didn't realize how much his cheating hurt Roxas. The man just figured that he had hurt Roxas the night before. His mind couldn't grasp the idea that maybe Roxas wanted him. All of him. Roxas didn't want other people to have Axel, even for a night, but Axel didn't understand. Would he ever understand?

Though the blonde knew Axel didn't fully know why he was crying, he still felt comforted by the big hands that brushed through his hair and the lips that whispered sweet nothings into his ear.

He said the one thing that he knew was all his. "Axel…"

Axel responded with the only name he ever called out. "Roxas."

Their names were the last thing that held them tied together. It was the only thing special that each of them had. It was the last hope for Roxas. He never wanted another person to say Axel's name with all of the love that he felt for the man.

In his mind, Roxas went through all of the things he wished he could say to Axel, _I love you so much. You mean everything to me, but I don't want to lose you. So… I won't stop you. Your choices are yours alone, so long as you always come back to me._

Despite what Axel had said, he couldn't help himself. Though, neither could Roxas. That night, they made love again—but this time, it was with all the compassion and caring Axel had to offer. Roxas didn't muffle his voice. He screamed Axel's name and was answered with his own. Axel moved slowly; gently, as if Roxas was ready to break if he moved too roughly. For the first time in a long time, Roxas felt like it was him who Axel loved wholly and purely, even if he knew that was a lie. Roxas could feel Axel though—the beat of the man's heart, the heat of his skin, the feel of him moving inside of Roxas… Everything was so much clearer, but not completely.

Roxas clung to Axel's neck desperately, feeling a loud moan bubble up from his throat. "Aahhn, Axel! Th-there!"

Axel thrust a little harder into the boy, leaning down to kiss him as they both came close to the edge. "Roxas… I love you."

And they both came. Roxas's mind went blank. _He said it… _Roxas thought. It wasn't right though. Axel still had yet to say it. What he had muttered were simply… words. They didn't have the full meaning.

Roxas smiled as Axel fell asleep on top of him. "It's a start…" the blonde murmured as he ran his hands through Axel's hair.

Roxas knew it would take a lot to finally get Axel to fully love him and only him. Maybe it would never happened, but he wouldn't know until he tried. Roxas decided that instead of letting Axel come home and use him like a doll, maybe he would try to find a way to make Axel notice only him. That was Roxas's idea, but he didn't realize he wouldn't be able to initiate that idea—That something was to go horribly wrong before Axel finally regained his senses. Maybe then, and only then, would the red-head realize the amount of love Roxas had to offer him. The beautiful, raw emotion that had laid sitting in a puddle, waiting for Axel to notice it for too long. Sometimes, things are difficult to get across to the one you love, Roxas decided. How difficult, though, was what he didn't understand. Axel would find out soon enough, even if he didn't want to.

_Super short opening. Probably only a few chapters, if that… I just really wanted an Akuroku fanfic D: My main project will always be What You May Stumble Upon though. Ofcourse, until it's done and over with :D Which probably won't be for awhile. I love you all dears, review review review! I need to know if this was worth writingg. _


	2. Chapter 2

_WHEW BABY. It's been uhm… a very long time. I just get soooo busyyyyy! D: I wish I could update For Granted and WYMSU every week, but I can't… I updated WYMSU last, so it just took awhile to get me worked up to another chapter of For Granted. I'm sorry if it's bad/rushed or something. I don't know. This fic is off to a sorta slow start, but I like it. Even if it isn't as loved as my other fic, I have to give it as much attention! Anywho, I'm not going to babble on any more. Hereeee you gooooo!_

The sound of telephones ringing filled Roxas's ears. It was so dull. The same noises assaulted his senses every day. The same, monotonous-toned people droned on in the offices around him. Though everything seemed so black and white around him, Roxas was happy. That day he was seeing things more clearly for the first time in a long time. He was treating his co-workers like friends instead of just fellow prisoners. Xion couldn't help but smile when she saw the blonde arrive that morning. His steps seemed to have more life in them and his eyes gleamed. She had known the spiky-haired male for a long time and knew what he looked like before… before he went to live with Axel. Roxas wasn't quite as spirited as he always was in the past, but the him that day was twenty times better than the Roxas that had been suffering for three years.

"Good morning, Xion!" Roxas called, waving at the short-haired girl.

She waved back excitedly, almost dropping the stack of papers she was carrying. "Morning, Roxas! Ready for the meeting today?"

Roxas laughed and rolled his eyes, remember how much he hated business meetings. He would always go out with Xion to a bar afterwards and talk about all of the pricks that attended. "I suppose…"

The male walked briskly towards his office, unlocking the door and pushing it open to reveal his perfectly organized desk and tidy little room of work. Roxas shut the door behind him and approached his overly-large desk, flipping over a few documents to find his folder that held the contents for that day's meeting and a flash drive. He snatched it up and turned to face the mirror that decorated the wall next to his chair, straightening his tie as he made sure he was presentable. He then released a deep sigh and turned on his heel, marching out the door and down the hall, running through his lines in his head. Xion followed closely behind him, having to walk quickly to keep up with Roxas.

"So you're ready?" she questioned, glancing at the folder that Roxas held then down at the charts she held in her arms.

"Yep," Roxas replied simply.

"Data from last year's sales?"

"Yeah."

"List of products?"

"Mhmm."

"Flash drive?"

"I have it all Xion, don't worry. Just worry about presenting your poster thingies," Roxas said, smoothing out the black dress shirt that he wore.

Xion blew a piece of hair out of her face moodily, attempting to straighten her own purple blouse as they stopped outside the meeting room. "Good luck."

Roxas nodded and flashed a grateful smile towards her before plastering on a big grin and throwing open the large, double doors.

…

"Where the hell were you last night man?" a dark-skinned man with slightly grayed hair that was thrown back into a ponytail questioned the red-head next to him.

Axel swallowed another shot of vodka and gritted his teeth before replying, "I wasn't feeling good, Xigbar. Get off my ass."

"You'd like me _in_ your ass," Xigbar sniggered as a vulgarly dressed waitress placed a mug of beer in front of him.

The skinny blonde on the other side of Axel spoke up in defense of his friend, "Hey, Axel's not like that."

"Oh shut up. He's fucked you and every woman in this town," Xigbar countered.

The blonde's face turned beet red as he looked back down at his drink. Axel elbowed Xigbar in the side harshly. "Fuck off, Xigbar. Don't bully Demyx like that."

The older-looking male choked and glared at Axel. "Why do you always stick up for that kid?"

"Stick up for who?"

A short male with long, dark hair that covered half of his face wandered over to Demyx, sitting next to him.

"Dem," Axel responded shortly, glaring back at Xigbar.

Demyx hugged the dark-haired man and pouted. "Zexion, I'm getting bullied."

Zexion raised an eyebrow at Xigbar. "Really? I wonder who's bullying you."

"Fuck, why the hell am I always the bad guy?" Xigbar practically shouted, throwing his hands up into the air.

"Because… you have an eyepatch," Demyx said with a giggle.

Xigbar jumped up from his seat and clenched his fists, shaking with rage. "Say that again you little fucker?"

Demyx retreated against Zexion's side and Axel got up, shielding the other two. "Xigbar, sit down. I don't want to have to kick your ass again."

"You're no fun when you're sober," Xigbar mumbled, sitting back down at the bar.

"It's only, like, 2 o'clock. I'm obviously not going to be wasted already," Axel snorted, rolling his emerald-green eyes.

Demyx let out another giggle, prodding at Axel's back. "What kind of person are you gonna pick up tonight?"

Memories from the night before flooded Axel's mind momentarily, causing him to go silent. He stared at the ground as his mind raced, forgetting to answer his friend's question.

"Hey, asshole, answer Dem's fucking question," Xigbar grumbled, jabbing at Axel's stomach.

The male shook his head as he returned to reality, muttering a few curses directed at Xigbar before replying to Demyx, "I don't think I'm going to get someone tonight…"

"You say that every night," Zexion pointed out as he ran his hands through Demyx's long, blonde hair.

Axel mumbled angrily, "Then why do I do it?"

Demyx heard his friend and piped up, "I dunno. Why do you? Did you tell us you had a girlfriend or something?"

"Yeah," Axel replied, wincing at the mention of his lover.

"Wow," Xigbar said with a smirk, leaning back against the glossy bar, "you're terrible. Is she still with you? Does she know?"

"He does," Axel stated simply. "I love him. He loves me. I just… I don't know."

Xigbar huffed and crossed his arms. "Obviously he's not satisfying enough."

"He is!" Axel defended, whirling on Xigbar. "I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I can't help but get drunk every night, and when I do all I want is sex."

"Alcoholic," Zexion said in a sing-song voice.

Axel turned and narrowed his eyes at his dark-haired friend. "It's you guys who made me this way."

"Correction- Xigbar and Demyx made you this way," Zexion said, glancing down at his boyfriend who was playing with his hair.

Demyx looked at Axel sheepishly and Xigbar put on an ugly frown. "You choose how you act," Xigbar said, shrugging.

It was true. Axel could've been like Zexion- not drinking but still hanging out with friends. He could've been more rational. Was he addicted to the feeling of numbness and the pleasurable sex that seemed to come with it? Axel frowned. Maybe he was. So what? He wasn't about to go through the process of sobering up. He was who he was. The male downed another shot as he thought this, trying to push thoughts of Roxas out of his mind.

…

That day's meeting had gone off without a hitch. Roxas had easily won over the attendants and probably won everyone in the offices a bonus. Xion congratulated him heartily as he packed his things to head home. The meeting had taken up most of the day, but he still had a lot of things to take care of afterwards. He was exhausted. The blonde stuffed papers into his briefcase, loosening his tie that had half-strangled him all day. He said bye to all his co-workers and smiled to Xion as he went out the door. The male let out a groan when he saw it was raining, then covered his head with his briefcase as he walked hurriedly on the sidewalk. The farther he got from work, the more his brain became crowded with thoughts of Axel.

How would he be when he came home? Would he come home early? Had anything changed the night before? Roxas wasn't sure. He hoped that Axel was improving. He wanted to believe it so bad. As the male crossed the street, he glanced around at the streets that were still fairly busy, even in the rainy weather. He was about to turn around the corner of a building when he saw a flash of red. The color attracted his attention, and he turned his head to look across the road, he saw him. Axel was standing in an alleyway next to a bar with a neon sign- and next to him was a woman with long, black hair, sliding her arms around Axel's neck. The red-head swayed slightly and said something to the girl before wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing her up against the wall. She was about to reply to the man before he attacked her lips, pressing his body flush against hers. Roxas stared on in horror. He'd never seen it. He'd never seen his lover with someone else, even if he'd known it. The blonde could feel his heart drop and his stomach churn. He felt sick. He was going to vomit. Roxas stumbled backwards until his back slammed into the brick wall behind him. The pain that shot up his spine didn't bother him as he kept watching his boyfriend run his hands all over the body of another. Roxas began trembling as he clutched at his stomach and dropped his briefcase. His breath came in short, harsh gasps and he couldn't help but listen to the sounds that carried from across the street. Axel's groans. The strange woman's cries that carried his lover deeper into the void of ecstasy. Roxas turned and was about to walk away, trying his best to keep his composure, but then he heard it.

"Ah, Axel!"

He froze.

His everything came crashing down. Surely that wasn't right. It was strange to think that a simple name could hold such a place in Roxas's heart, but it did. The blonde could feel his mind and heart crumbling. That name was _his._ Axel _knew _ that. Why? Why would someone else be calling out his name? Wasn't that Roxas's right? The last piece that Roxas had all to himself of the one he loved most was ripped away from him. For three years, little pieces of Axel had been taken from him, but the red-head's name was all he had left. How long had Axel been passing out such a sacred thing to strangers so that they could scream his name?

Tears stung Roxas's eyes. He couldn't see straight. His blonde hair drooped down in front of his face as he took off running, forgetting his briefcase on the sidewalk. His heart was pounding as well as his head. Loud sobs sounded from him and he choked on rainwater that soaked his face and clothing. It couldn't be. The night before… It had been...

_"Roxas… I love you."_

It was a lie. A complete lie- not even remotely true. Had it ever been true?

Roxas stumbled blearily off of the sidewalk and into the street, just wanting to get home as fast as possible. He was almost there- only two blocks away.

But then lights blinded him.

A horn sounded.

Roxas whipped his head around and stared into the blinding light that landed upon him.

"Ax-" the boy's words were cut off.

Screeching filled the air as the car slammed on the brakes, but the driver had only seen Roxas at the last minute due to the heavy rain. The driver threw open the door and began screaming. It was the last thing Roxas heard.

_Be quiet. You're so loud._

The piercing sound kept going. Roxas wanted to cover his ears. It finally stopped, though, and Roxas slept. He was thrust into a world of numb darkness and slumber. His mind felt caged and no dream came to him. Just a pitch black world.

…

Axel placed his hands behind his head, leaning back in bed with some woman he'd never met. He didn't mind. It always happened. He hadn't drank too much, so his fogged mind began to clear much quicker than usual. The girl next to him had already fallen asleep. That was his queue to leave. He got up from the bed and stifled a yawn, jumping slightly when his cell-phone began vibrating on the night stand next to him.

The man grumbled under his breath and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Axel," Zexion said, "have you seen the news? It's crazy. I'm at Demyx's and we just saw this report on some insane kid that ran out in front of a car."

"Zexion, do you really think I care? Why do you have to call me about the news all the time?"

Zexion shrugged as if Axel could see his motions. "I don't know. Oh, oh! They just found out the guy's name. Apparently he dropped some briefcase maybe half a block from where it happened… Wow what a weird name."

Axel sighed and decided to humor his friend. "Like it's any weirder than Zexion or Demyx."

"True, true."

"So what was it?"

"What?"

"His name, Zexion," Axel said, irritated that he had ever decided to speak with Zexion in the first place.

"Oh," Zexion said with a slight laugh, "it's Roxas."

"What?" Axel said quietly.

Zexion let out a frustrated sigh and repeated, "Roxas. Do you have bad hearing or something?"

"Come pick me up, right now."

"Why?"

"Just fucking come here, we're going to the hospital!" Axel shouted before hanging up.

Zexion looked to Demyx who was curled up with his head on Zexion's lap. Demyx had been listening to the conversation, and he looked up at his boyfriend with a confused look. "Are we going, Zexion?"

"Yeah, Dem. Come on."

…

A silver car pulled up in front of the apartment where Axel had been staying. The red-head ran towards the vehicle and opened the door, jumping in before slamming it shut again.

"So, want to explain to me what's going on while we randomly drive to the hospital?" Zexion questioned the male that was squeezing rainwater out of his hair in the back seat.

"Before I tell you, tell me if that kid is alive," Axel said quickly, practically burning a hole through Zexion with his eyes.

Zexion gently came to a stop at the light as he replied, "Last time I checked, yeah. He had been picked up by the paramedics and the news said he was in critical condition or something… Do you know him?"

Axel ran a shaky hand through his hair, clenching his teeth and letting out an exasperated sigh. "He's my lover."

Demyx choked on whatever sugary drink he had been chugging. "What? Oh my God, Axe, I'm so sorry!"

Zexion's eyes were wide and he felt sympathy for his friend- but at the same time he knew what was happening. "Axel, I hate to sound like an asshole but… it sounded like you don't treasure him that much. I mean, you have sex every night with someone else and go home drunk. Doesn't this all just sound like karma?"

"I don't believe in that shit, Zexion!" Axel snapped, denying his friend's observation.

"He's right, Axe," Demyx said, surprising the other two males. The blonde was rarely serious. "Don't you think you cheating and being so terrible as a lover might've influenced this situation?"

"I…" Axel began, his mind whirring. He covered his face with his hands. "I don't know."

Zexion put a hand on Demyx's shoulder before he could say anything more. "That's enough, Dem. Let's just focus on finding Roxas."

Demyx nodded quietly and captured Zexion's hand in his own, twining their fingers together. He couldn't imagine how Axel was feeling, and he realized saying anything more would just make the red-head feel worse. It took only a few minutes for Zexion to arrive at the hospital, pulling into the lot and driving up to the doors of the building.

"Go on, guys," Zexion said, waving at Demyx and Axel, "find Roxas. I'll park the car."

Axel needed no further bidding. He opened the door and almost tripped as he got out, hardly remembering to the close the door behind him. Demyx followed quickly, giving Zexion a quick kiss on the cheek and a brief good-bye before going. Axel practically broke down the large entrance doors and he ran up to the counter where a nurse stood by looking at her computer screen.

She looked up and stood slowly. "How can I help you?"

Axel spoke desperately, "Roxas," he said, "I need to see him."

"Oh you're with him!" she said and then frowned. "He's currently in the emergency room, but he's been in there for awhile now. They're trying to stabilize his condition. A room is being prepared for him here…" The nurse scribbled down a room number on a piece of paper. She then handed it to Axel and winked, "You can stay in there if you want to. I can see you want to see him immediately. I'll tell the doctors about your presence and they'll get him fixed up so you can spend time with him in the room. I'm not sure how long it will be, though…"

Axel snatched the piece of paper and looked at the nurse with gratitude filling his eyes. "Thank you."

Without checking to make sure Demyx was following, Axel, took off down the hall towards the elevator.

"Wait up!" Demyx called grabbing at Axel's shirt. "She just said he was still in the emergency room. There's no rush."

Axel bit back an angry reply and collapsed on a bench next to the elevators. "Is Zexion here yet?"

"Now I am," the male responded before Demyx said anything. He leaned back against the wall by Axel once he made it down the hall and crossed his arms. "So?"

"We were just waiting on you," Axel said, "the nurse gave us a room number. She said we could wait in there, but Roxas is still in the emergency room."

"So he's alive," Zexion sighed in relief.

Axel felt a stab at his heart. Was the accident so bad that Zexion thought he might not make it?

Instead of focusing on such morbid thoughts, Axel stood and pressed the up arrow on the elevator, watching it light up and tapping his foot impatiently. He watched the numbers on the sign above the contraption decline until they hit "1". The door opened and Axel stepped inside, trying not to rush as Demyx told him to. Zexion and Demyx followed him on board and the doors slid shut after the red-head hit "3".

Demyx felt a little nervous as the elevator moved, clinging to Zexion's arm. "What are you doing?" Zexion asked.

"I just… I saw this show once where an elevator cable snapped and everyone got killed on it…" Demyx replied as he shrank back against the wall.

"That's ridiculous," Zexion scoffed. "Do you know the odds of that happening?"

Axel turned on them both and snapped, "Would you two shut the fuck up?"

Zexion glared at Axel, responding calmly, "Getting worked up over this isn't going to help you, Axel. Just calm down. We're here."

The doors opened and Axel was the first to get off, shoving past a family as they attempted to get on. Zexion apologized for his friend and Demyx scurried off the death-contraption quickly. Axel had already made it to the room that the nurse had directed him to. He opened the door and flipped on the lights, half expecting to see Roxas laying in the hospital bed even though he knew that wouldn't happen. Axel groaned and stumbled over to a chair in the corner, falling into it and shutting his eyes. He felt weak.

"Axe, you should try to sleep," Zexion said, pulling up another chair. "It's late and you don't know when Roxas will get here."

"Do you think they'll chase us out when Roxas is here?" Demyx asked before Axel could say anything.

"This is a big room and a fairly small hospital. The nurse also said that we should be fine in here," Axel said, hoping that what the nurse said was true.

Zexion nodded and leaned back in his chair. "They're accepting here. They have fantastic technology and doctors, but this hospital is still more local. It's one of the only places that actually care about its patients."

Axel felt relieved to hear those words from Zexion. The male was the smartest friend he had, so he felt more at ease hearing him say such things. "Maybe I will take a quick nap…"

Demyx grinned and threw open some cabinets that were mounted on the wall, yanking out blankets and piling them on the floor. He curled up on the mess of cloth and yawned. "Let's all sleep!"

"I'll stay up," Zexion said quickly, looking over at Axel, "so I can wake you when Roxas gets here."

Axel smiled at his faithful friend and slouched in his chair, letting his eyes close. "Thanks, Zexion."

The serious male nodded and grabbed a magazine that rested on the window sill. Demyx was already almost asleep with Axel following closely behind. Both of them were worn out. Zexion was as well, but staying up in order to help his desperate friend was more important to him. It would most likely be awhile until Roxas was placed in his room- possibly into the early hours of the morning. However, he didn't care if he had to stay up all night. Axel was worried sick, and it was hard enough getting him to agree to a "quick nap". He didn't want the red-head to worry any more. Zexion looked down at the magazine he was holding, flipping it open the first page. It was going to be a long night.

_So I planned on going so much farther with this chapter, but it got long faster than I thought (ahaha like my dick. So unexpected. It was like BAM one day o.o Justkidding) Anywhozzle, babes, I love you. So review? The reason I updated WYMSU before this one was because of reviews.. they are my motivators. If everyone who set eyes on the FIRST WORD of this fic reviewed… I would just have fifty babies in their honor. Wow that's creepy. I love you guys though. I do. Especially MyPaperSoul. Ohwait that's unfair. I'll pretend that I love the whole world equally like one of them hippies or some shit. MMM I WANT TO FUCK YOU ALL IN YOUR NOSTRIL…. EQUALLY. Whoa. Is that even a thing? Yeah it is. Anyway, REVIEW and I will update LIKE APJGOIEJPOAGJWEOGJI_


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